When the Cleveland Guardians chose to bet on their young players instead of spending big in free agency, plenty of people had their doubts. Those doubts are getting harder to hold onto by the day.
The roster Cleveland put together heading into 2026 was met with skepticism in many corners of the baseball world. The front office declined to add marquee free agent names, leaned heavily on internal development, and asked a group of young players to take the next step at the major league level. Several months into the season, the results of that bet are becoming impossible to ignore.
“It still doesn’t excuse spending next to nothing in free agency, but the Guardians’ bet on the development of their young guys appears to have been a right one. Rocchio, Martinez, DeLauter and Bazzana, plus Manzardo heating up, have completely changed this lineup,” Jordan Zirm posted.
it still doesn't excuse spending next to nothing in free agency, but the Guardians' bet on the development of their young guys appears to have been a right one.
Rocchio, Martinez, DeLauter and Bazzana (plus Manzardo heating up) have completely changed this lineup
— Jordan Zirm (@JordanZirm) May 24, 2026
Brayan Rocchio leads the club with 48 hits across 52 games, hitting .286 with a .781 OPS and 27 RBI while providing great defense at shortstop every single night. Chase DeLauter is right behind him with 47 hits, a .261 average, seven home runs, 30 RBI, and a .798 OPS that makes him one of the more productive right fielders in the American League right now. Angel Martinez has 41 hits with nine home runs and 26 RBI. Travis Bazzana has 25 hits in just 24 games, hitting .294 with a .824 OPS, three home runs, 10 RBI, seven stolen bases, and a .400 on-base percentage that has him in historically elite company through the early portion of his career.
And then there is Manzardo, heating up exactly as Zirm noted. After hitting .186 in March and April, he has turned into a .300 hitter since that rough stretch with four home runs, including a pinch-hit blast in Philadelphia that stands as one of the most clutch moments of the entire season. His 52 strikeouts in 140 at-bats remain a concern, but the power and the production during this hot stretch have been exactly what Cleveland needed from their first baseman.
The foundation of all of it is Jose Ramirez, still churning out elite production with 46 hits, eight home runs, 24 RBI, 37 walks, and a career that continues to serve as the model for what sustained excellence at the big league level looks like in a Cleveland uniform.
At 32-23 and rolling through May, the Guardians are making the case that they knew exactly what they were doing all along.
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